In many prior art magnetic tape cassettes, pinch rollers are used to drive the magnetic tape by lifting tape out of removable cassettes into contact with the drive capstans when the cassette is loaded into a tape deck. However, pinch rollers tend to cause tape handling problems such as skew as well as adding cost and complexity to the tape transport system.
In certain applications such as audio reproducers used in aircraft entertainment systems, it is considered important to provide highly reliable operation in environments of extreme temperature and vibration as well as to minimize costs. Another important factor is to provide an audio system wherein the tape can be changed quickly by unskilled personnel under very limited time constraints as is frequently the case with airline operations.